the suspect live streaming on facebook, using a whiteboard to negotiate with police. what was his motive? the race to flee the taliban. the state department saying 6,000 more people will soon be lifted out of kabul. the u.s. under pressure to speed up the pace my conversation with the president's national security adviser jake sullivan. is there any fear or concern this could become a hostage situation which people are not allowed to leave? >> how he responded. and our richard engel. what he encountered on his journey out of afghanistan. also, the battle over boosters. why some experts are slamming the u.s. plan to roll out third shots. it comes as hospitals are on the brink and three u.s. senators all testing positive tropical storm henri. will it become the first hurricane to hit new england in 30 years? and fines for unruly behavior on planes hitting a new record how flight attendants are learning to defend themselves

>> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening, everyone washington held its breath for several hours today as the u.s. capital complex came under threat again, this time allegedly by a north carolina man with a list of grievances against the government, who according to police, drove his pickup truck on to a sidewalk at the library of congress and declared he had a bomb. capitol hill offices were evacuated as police tried to negotiate with the man who streamed his demands live on social media before surrendering it was another jarring moment at a capitol complex that has been on edge ever since insurrectionists forced their way into the capitol on january 6. pete williams now with late details >> reporter: nearly five hours after he parked his pickup and claimed to have explosives, a 49-year-old man from north carolina gave up and followed instructions to crawl away, ending a tense standoff >> he got out of the vehicle. and surrendered, and

the tactical units that were close by took him into custody without incident >> reporter: capitol police say it all began a little after 9:00 a.m. when the man, floyd ray roseberry parked his black pickup on the sidewalk at the library of congress, called 911, and said he had a bomb. that's about a block from the u.s. capitol. nearby buildings were evacuated, including the supreme court and the house of representatives office building police and federal agents swarmed in, including the fbi and atf, and streets were shut down several blocks away. a massive response in a city still on high alert after the capitol riot and social media threats of further violence. at first police say roseberry communicated with them by writing notes on a dry erase board saying "don't shoot me" at one point, and asking for his preacher as it began, he was actually sending a live feed from inside the truck to his facebook page. >> all right, guys

looks to me like i'm getting ready to make a phone call. >> reporter: he then made a long series of anti-government statements a short time later facebook cut off the feed and took down his page but while it was still active, he showed glimpses of what looked like it could be a bomb and said he had potential explosive material in a tool box in the bed of the pickup. investigators reached out to his family members and searched his north carolina home, looking for clues of what he might be up to police sent a robot carrying a phone so they could negotiate with him, but they say he never used it and simply gave up tonight after thoroughly going through the pickup, police and federal agents say he never did have a viable bomb he now faces a raft of federal charges. lester >> pete williams on capitol hill tonight, thanks turning to afghanistan now. with tens of thousands trying to flee that country and escape taliban rule, our richard engel has a firsthand account of the journey out alongside a group of afghans, most leaving the only home they've

ever known >> reporter: thousands of afghans were evacuated overnight from kabul airport they're thankful to be escaping taliban rule, but it isn't pretty to flee a war zone. we watched one group of hundreds of afghans gathered in front of the departure hall leading to the runways. they wait outside for hours until the planes arrive surrounded by trash, always under guard most arrive here already exhausted because to get here, they had to navigate through taliban fighters who control the airport perimeter and whose idea of crowd control is using guns and whips >> outside the airport, people don't let me to go in. >> reporter: did you see the taliban beating people >> yes, and they're shooting, like they run behind you with ak-47, boom, boom, boom, boom >> reporter: what do you think about what

is happening right now, not only to your country, to you? >> yes, our country right now is finished. no more afghanistan. >> reporter: eventually, they're moved inside to a waiting room a marine tries to lighten the mood, joking with the children they're given water and military rations and then more moves and more waiting there is no fixed time for how long it takes. some are afghan americans. others are seeking asylum most have just one bag to start their new lives. we've now landed in doha, qatar. this has been a long journey for the afghans. it's also been a very emotional one. yes, they're now safe. they'll be processed here, some going to the united states, others to different countries. but many also know they may never see their homeland again >> richard, thank you for your reporting inside afghanistan now to the american citizens struggling to get past crowds and the taliban and into the kabul

airport to escape. the biden administration today declining to say how many americans are still trapped as the president faces more backlash for the chaotic withdrawal kelly o'donnell reports. >> reporter: tonight u.s. officials say another 6,000 people made it safely to the kabul airport, awaiting evacuation. pressed repeatedly, officials at the departments of state and defense could not say how many americans still need to be rescued. >> i don't know that level of detail. >> we're just not in a position to give a number right now >> reporter: in an interview with abc, the president defended the evacuation mission, despite chaos near the airport >> well, there is. but look, no one is being killed right now. god forgive me if i'm wrong about that but no one is being killed right now >> reporter: among the most vulnerable, afghan women and girls, fearful of taliban repression >> there are afghan women outside the gate, i told them, get them on the plane. get them out get them out

get their families out if you can >> reporter: the pentagon says it could airlift up to 9,000 a day, but far fewer were evacuated 2,000 over 24 hours. republican critics say more must be done. >> this is all on president biden. there is no plan to get u.s. citizens outside of kabul into kabul and once they get to kabul, there is no plan to make the taliban to let them through. >> reporter: to speed things up, the state department says by tomorrow, it will double the staff processing evacuation credentials. and urged americans across afghanistan to get to the kabul airport as soon as possible, and they must do so on their own. lester >> all right, kelly, thanks on that point, the administration insisting it will get all americans out who want to leave. earlier i spoke with national security adviser jake sullivan and further pressed on how many americans could need way out does the u.s. have a number now in the number of americans still in afghanistan who have not been able to make their way to

the airport? >> we don't have a precise number and the reason is because we ask americans to register with the u.s. government when they arrive in country. so a number of people come they sign up, and then they leave and never let us know they left. so we can't know for certain exactly how many americans are in country. >> we've been hearing a lot of stories about people unable to get to the airport because the taliban are pushing crowds back. you telling me there is a safe and reliable route now to the airport for anyone who wants to leave >> we have gotten regular reports that american citizens seeking to come to the airport have been able to get to the airport. the issue that we are confronting is that at the gates of the airport, there are large crowds we're working through that we're getting them through. we're getting them on planes we're going to keep doing that in the days ahead. >> i just want to be clear. are you saying that any american in afghanistan right now who wants to leave, that their government will not leave them behind >> we will get any american who wants to get to the airport and we get in contact with

who says i want to get out and get on a plane, we will make that happen. >> is there any fear or concern that this could become a hostage situation, which people are not allowed to leave >> i want to level with the american people this is a risky operation. we right now have established contact with the taliban to allow for the safe passage of people to the airport. and that is working at the moment, to get americans and afghans at risk to the airport. that being said, we can't count on anything, and we have to worry about all kinds of contingencies. one of the contingencies we are very focused on, laser-focused on is the potential for a terrorist attack by a group like isis k, which of course is a sworn enemy of the taliban. so we will keep working to minimize the risks and maximize the number of people on planes. >> jake sullivan, national security adviser speaking with us earlier in just 60 seconds, three u.s. senators and what they all revealed today regarding covid.

back now with covid in congress. three u.s. senator, john hickenlooper, angus king and roger wicker all testing positive after being fully vaccinated the news comes as the u.s. plan to roll out boost sers being criticized from some corners and hospitals are under siege. here is miguel almaguer >> with 155 million americans set to qualify for a booster over the next eight months, tonight some leading experts are not yet convinced a third dose is actually needed, citing multiple studies, the white house task force laid out a case of waning protection from infection and the delta variant. but so far there has only been a slight decline in the prevention of hospitalization and serious illness. >> i do think the administration is moving a bit too fast. we vaccinate to save lives. the purpose here is not to prevent mild cough, cold or flu symptoms, or even something that leaves you laid up in bed the point here is to prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death. >> what we're starting

to see over time - >> reporter: in a campaign blitz, today top officials look to reassure americans, warning they're not just trying to prevent the explosion in new cases, but more importantly, the surge of hospitalizations already overwhelming some medical centers >> rather than saying let's wait until we start seeing significant disease and hospitalizations, let's get ahead of the curve. >> reporter: but the w.h.o. says other countries will pay the price for boosters >> we're planning to hand out extra life jackets to people who already have life jackets while we're leaving other people to drown without a single life jacket >> reporter: left out of the debate for now, those vaccinated with johnson & johnson. it could be weeks until we know if they too will need a booster. and now some worry another dose could undermine the confidence of millions who have not yet chosen to get vaccinated tonight the battle over boosters delivering a shot of controversy. miguel almaguer, nbc

news this is ellison barber tonight we're inside this parking garage, now a field hospital were you expecting to need something like this summer? >> no. >> one of two just opened at the university of mississippi medical center this one is funded and staffed by samaritan's purse. 32 beds, all of them for covid patients in need of critical care. you think they'll be full by the end of the evening? >> probably not all of them by the end of the evening because it takes time to accept every one of them. but, you know, by the end of the week. >> reporter: and steps away, new fears that the state's only children's hospital, 28 kids are currently hospitalized, 8 in the icu. >> we're seeing kids who are more ill frequently with severe covid, even children who have not had previous underlying illnesses. >> reporter: donovan evans is 11 years old. he has covid-19, and on monday he was admitted to children's of mississippi >> next month he'll be old enough september the 26th will be his birthday

>> reporter: his parents think he got the virus at school. donovan has asthma, and had been wearing a mask, but they say other students did not. >> the school failed us >> it's a lot for an 11-year-old to go through. >> reporter: severe illness and death in children from covid-19 is extremely rare. of nearly 615,000 covid deaths nationwide, just 361 have been people under the age of 18. but tonight donovan's parents with this warning. >> i would never thought it got to my son, but he is human take precaution by wearing your mask and getting this vaccination. >> ellison, mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates. the doctors you spoke to say that's the primary problem. >> yeah, that's right, lester among older mississippians who have higher rates of vaccination, covid cases are down it's the younger population they're particularly worried about. lester >> all right, ellison barber, thank you. we're tracking

several dangerous storms tonight tropical storm henri could become a hurricane tomorrow and reach the northeast coast by sunday. it would be the first hurricane to hit southern new england in 30 years, and remnants from tropical storm fred dumped heavy rain on parts of new york, massachusetts, and caused deadly flooding in north carolina. still ahead, as we continue tonight, what flight attendants are now doing to defend themselves against unruly behavior on board planes

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unruly airline passengers have racked up more than a million dollars in fines for bad behavior so now more flight attendants are taking self-defense training to protect against violent passengers tom costello reports >> reporter: at an air marshall training center in chicago, up close and personal self-defense tactics >> again, the strike of the clavicle, the temple or the nose >> reporter: a dozen flight attendants here on their own time as the faa today reports nearly 3900 cases of unruly behavior on board passenger planes just this year passengers attacking crewmembers, often drinking or angry about mask mandates. one flight attendant even losing two teeth after being punched. the faa now detailing dozens of cases, passengers fined up to $45,000 each under a zero tolerance policy with total fines already surpassing a million dollars. >> every single day

when flight attendants are putting on their uniforms, they're saying is this the day that somebody punches me in the face >> reporter: the voluntary self-defense training suspended during the pandemic now in high demand flight attendants don't sign up to get into a job for a fistfight. but if it becomes physical, they're being told don't be timid. >> if they are going after myself or anybody on the plane, it's you or me, right? so i'm going to protect myself. >> if i'm a passenger and i'm coming at you with a fist. >> you're going to block, right and sometimes it's going to be a very quick block, glancing blow. >> reporter: what have they taught you that you didn't know before >> so hands in self-defense just like this step, pivot, bring it back, turn making sure you are bringing the hands back into your face, protect yourself. >> reporter: defending against a new reality in the skies tom costello, nbc news, chicago. all right. turning once again to afghanistan, there are rising questions about how the taliban got its money, with one family turning their grief into getting

justice. andrea mitchell now with that story. >> reporter: tonight, new allegations about how the taliban could have financed their bombing campaign in afghanistan and paid off local afghan leaders, paving the way for their lightning march on kabul. according to a lawsuit filed by 500 victims, including gold star families and injured soldiers, accusing some of the world's largest banks of knowingly laundering more than $100 million to the terrorists, victims like anne smedinghoff, an idealistic young foreign service officer, seen here in front of john kerry's plane on the tarmac in kabul on march 25th, 2013 12 days later, she and four others were killed by a talaban ied while delivering books to school children outside the capital. this week's news bringing it all back for her parents. how do you feel now, tom, about seeing the taliban in charge of afghanistan? >> all these events have been hard to watch. and i think a lot

about all the different work that anne was doing, especially with afghan women. >> reporter: and she was bringing books to the children when this terrible thing happened >> because she knew that was the key, to educate the children of afghanistan for their future >> reporter: now they've joined the lawsuit, accusing big banks, including deutsche bank and standard chartered of violating u.s. anti-terrorism laws by helping the taliban finance their operation. the banks refuse to comment. >> if companies are making money by aiding the taliban to kill americans, then, yes, they ought to be held accountable for that >> and this is the plaque. >> reporter: her parents are comforted by a garden and plaque at their hometown library and a memorial at the state department later they found what she wrote on her foreign service application. >> "a post in kabul will require great sacrifice, but this is

the reason i joined the foreign service, to serve my country in the best way i can." >> they hope her work lives on and the people she affected now challenge more than ever. andrea mitchell, nbc news, river forest, illinois all right. after the break, a pro hockey player making history and inspiring americans.

finally tonight, the first pro hockey player to come out publicly, telling our kate snow he is now living life on his terms. >> reporter: last year, the nashville predators selected luke prokop in the nhl draft. >> prokop, he scores >> reporter: the 19-year-old defenseman plays in calgary for now, but out on the ice he was keeping a secret >> i mean, have i been dealing with this for four -- probably three or four years where i truly knew who i was and was hiding myself. >> reporter: this spring he came out to his sister and other family this summer he told the world on instagram. >> i am no longer scared to hide who i am today i am proud to publicly tell everyone that i am gay. i got to a point where i didn't really care about what anyone else would think. i wanted to live my life the way i wanted to, and not hide from anything. >> reporter: the nhl, hockey has a reputation testosterone-filled, right? fighting >> they score! >> reporter: do you worry about whether they'll accept you >> i think nowadays,

hockey in that sense has changed. my generation, everyone that i've told, i haven't had a bad reaction yet. >> reporter: prokop says living openly will make him a better player. >> i can go to the gym. i can go to the rink. i don't have to care what anyone else thinks i don't have to wonder if anyone is questioning who i am i can just be me >> reporter: he's at development camp in nashville now, and next year old enough to be called up to join the predators kate snow, nbc news. >> that is "nightly news." a quick program note please tune in for our latest episode of "nightly news" kids edition, streaming now. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

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i'm not getting it, you get it. you threw it. it's your frisbee. geico. switch today and see all the ways you could save. i'm raj mathai. next on nbc bay area news tonight, he's feeling the pressure. we go one on one with governor newsom. >> there is some kin creasing fear in a lot of californians that we're going to be moving back to a stay-at-home order as we continue to require more. is that even a possibility? >> not if we keep getting vaccinated. quite the contrary. >> we're talk everything from how the booster shot rollout will go and why he thinks he's facing a recall. also as wildfires rage around us we get a firsthand look at just how quickly they can take out an entire neighborhood. and the unhealthy air isn't going anywhere.